It’s finally time to get back to football.
About six months after they played their final game of 2016 in a blinding snow storm in Ottawa, the Edmonton Eskimos will see sunny skies and temperatures in the 20s as they hit the field on Sunday for day one of training camp on the Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
There are several key changes to the Eskimos on the football side of things, starting with a new general manager. Brock Sunderland was hired as the new VP of football and GM on April 24, just a couple of weeks after the firing of Ed Hervey and barely a month before training camp was to open.
Before he was fired, Hervey had done most of the work putting together the group that will be the Edmonton Eskimos in 2017. Sunderland has arrived to fine tune the roster and will continue to put his stamp on the Eskimos moving forward.
There will be changes on the field too, especially on defence where four key starters will not return. Linebacker Deon Lacey is gone to the NFL, defensive lineman Eddie Steele was released and later signed by Saskatchewan and cornerbacks Pat Watkins and Cord Parks were not re-signed after their contracts expired.
Canadian linebacker Cory Greenwood, signed as a free agent from Toronto, should move into Lacey’s spot at linebacker – he is a capable replacement and will allow for an American to play at another position on the field.
That position will be on the defensive line in place of Steele. Among others, Euclid Cummings was signed after two years in Toronto and a year in Winnipeg.
The best battle of camp on the defensive side will be in the defensive backfield, a problem area for the Eskimos last year. Only Winnipeg and Ottawa gave up more yards through the air than the Eskimos average of 305 per game. Johnny Adams, a two-year CFL vet, and returning Eskimo Garry Peters, who had three starts last season, will get good shots to take over on the corners. But there are others.
The defence will have changes but from where he stands, one of the longest-serving Eskimos linebacker JC Sherritt feels it is a step in the right direction from last year.
“It’s better, no question,” said Sherritt, who is entering his seventh season in Green and Gold. “To have the same system back to back is huge for your progression to be a better defence. I love the additions we have made. This organization has always done a good job of bringing in people. We’re excited to get out there together.”
Every day in practice that defence will face a high-powered offence. It’s a group that is also going into year two with a new system, and quarterback Mike Reilly says that will make them better starting from day one of camp.
“We know what didn’t work last year and to get rid of it. We know what we are good at and how to improve it and we had a lot of time in the off-season to study and put some new things in,” said Reilly, who expects a much smoother start to camp this year.
“Starting on day one we should be running at full speed. Last year that just wasn’t the case because of all the work we had to do to get on the same page with a new system.”
After the re-signing of receiver Chris Getztlaf on Friday, nine of the 12 starters on offence in 2016, will be returning. Two departures are at the receiver position, a position where the Eskimos have a great deal of depth. Derel Walker is gone to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL and his combined 2,699 yards over two seasons and 16 TDs will be greatly missed. Also leaving is Nate Coehoorn who retires after six seasons. Offensive tackle D’Anthony Batiste at 35 years of age did not receive a contract offer when he became a free agent.
As for replacements at the receiver spot, the Eskimos are well stocked. Brandon Zylstra burst onto the scene last year with 508 yards in only six games plus another 110 yards in two playoff games. He is at the top of the list for full-time duty followed by Bryant Mitchell, who spent the year on the practice roster except for the final game of the year when he caught five passes for 69 yards. Vidal Hazelton and Shamawd Chambers, who is back with the Eskimos after a year in Saskatchewan, will also be in the mix.
One of the first moves Sunderland made as Esks GM was to bring in a familiar face to him and head coach Jason Maas on the offensive line, signing Colin Kelly who was in the NFL last year after spending two seasons in Ottawa with the REDBLACKS.
Special teams also has changes, starting at the kicker spot. For the first time in the last few seasons that will be handled by one man. Sean Whyte, who lead the CFL in field goals last year at 93 per cent, will also start handling punting duties and kickoffs in place of the departed Grant Shaw.
Several players ran kicks back last season for the Eskimos. It started with Joe McKnight early in the season and ended in the playoffs with Shakir Bell and Brandon Zylstra. In between we saw Kenzel Doe and Troy Stoudermire handling things with some help from Cord Parks, Garry Peters and Greg Morris.
The kick return job in 2017, at least to start training camp, goes to Kendial Lawrence who also returns from a year away in Saskatchewan and Hamilton. Lawrence handled the job for two seasons with the Eskimos in 2014 and 2015 and he also has the ability to mix into the offence at either running back or receiver.
There are questions as the Eskimos head to another training camp this weekend but not as many as years past and not as many as other teams around the league have.
The answers will come over the next three weeks.
Roster adjustments
Signed on Friday by the Eskimos is receiver Chris Getzlaf, who had 41 receptions for 455 yards in 2016 – his first year with the Eskimos after eight years in Saskatchewan. Also signed, national running back Pascal Lochard, a three-year CFL vet with BC and Winnipeg. Lochard is 6″ tall, 215 pounds and is 26 years old. He was a Vanier Cup MVP with Laval in 2013.
Released on Friday, national defensive lineman Hasan Hazime and international defensive back Kent London.
Eskimos training camp opens Saturday with medical testing followed by the first on-field session Sunday morning from 9:20 a.m. to noon.
630 CHED will have a live show from The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium Sunday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
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